One of the largest and longest studies following children on the spectrum over time has been released. The Longitudinal study of Australian Students with Autism (LASA), documented the educational and participation trajectories and outcomes of Australian students on the autism spectrum over a 6-year period. It explored academic achievement, with data collected from home, school and some children/teenagers.
Providing students on the autism spectrum with appropriate educational supports and other interventions during their schooling is critical to securing higher levels of participation and independence in adult life. And the long-term impact of not providing appropriate educational supports at an early age is becoming increasingly apparent.
Parents were asked to nominate their child’s skills and strengths and their special interests in the LASA survey. Parents reported male and female children demonstrated strengths in academic skills such as reading, spelling, and mathematics. Females showed a preference for crafts and caring for animals while males were interested in science and engineering. Parents reported tenacity and determination to be a strength, indicating a potential relationship between the special interest and the skill development and this should be considered as having a role in their social, emotional and educational development.
There were gender differences in interests between the older and younger groups, as only the older female cohort were interested in technology and sport, and younger males in crafts. Humour and a loving personality emerged as a personality trait of both male and female children.
While research has found there are high rates of anxiety disorder among individuals on the autism spectrum, much of this research focused on youth and adults. Most research does not consider anxiety in autism until children are aged 8 or over and little is known about early signs of anxiety in young children under the age of 8 years. Anxiety symptoms appear to manifest early in the life of a child on the autism spectrum, and age is likely to be a factor in relation to type and severity of anxiety across the lifespan.
The subscale of ‘uncertainty’ was evident among 5-6-year-old children in this study who experienced a range of anxiety-related symptoms. Research is needed to identify effective early intervention strategies and to determine if such interventions can protect against the development of anxiety disorder in later childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
Parents reported differing presentations of anxiety between settings, with the majority relating to observable, behavioural changes, such as hides/shuts down and repetitive behaviours, rather than cognitive or physiological signs. Parents predominantly used proactive strategies to support the management of their child’s anxiety across all settings, including routines, practice and predictability, and sensory support adjustments to tasks and expectations. They also worked with their children to develop coping strategies such as relaxation techniques. However, there was limited information about anxiety at school, highlighting the need for more work in this area.
Little is known about the anxiety of students on the autism spectrum in school contexts. As a result, there is limited detailed information for teachers or educators about how anxiety may present and be managed in the school setting for children on the autism spectrum
Overall, male and female children on the autism spectrum, aged 9–12 years, had similar anxiety scores. The profiles of anxiety in male and female children on the autism spectrum may differ from those reported in typically developing children, warranting further investigation.
Participants were recruited from all states and territories and the primary participant group was caregivers of children on the autism spectrum aged 4-5 years or 9-10 years.
The report was supported by Autism CRC and the project managed by the LASA research team comprised staff from Griffith University, Autism Centre of Excellence, and partners from industry.